Circles
I just noticed another parallel: the switching of the backpacks. Funny that Jack gets fooled by the same ploy he used on Kate waaaay back in Season One, when he switched her backpack full of dynamite with his own just so she'd be safe.

McGone: I believe it was raining in the "Pilot" encounter with Smokey, no? Anyway, I would think rain wouldn't affect him that much, since that would be cruel of The Rules to never let you play outside. I think it just has something to do with the ocean.

He could just throw a rock at them.

Across the Sea
Just wanted to point out that Jack tackled Un-Locke into the water, which supposedly is a huge no-no for Smokey. I was expecting him to emerge somehow injured or fundamentally changed, but no dice. Was this significant? I suppose we'll be learning more about water next week, though.

I thought it was pretty clear in that Black Rock scene that the reason none of them could die was because they couldn't kill THEMSELVES. That's the gift of Jacob's touch, and it's why Jack never jumped off that bridge or why Locke never hanged himself.

The more things change…
I love that Daniel Faraday-Widmore wears the exact same indie-hipster skinny tie whether he's a musician or a quantum physicist.

That "Flashes Beyond Your Eyes" theory is the one theory that keeps coming up in conversations with my friends, Noel. I think you're right.

Yeah, but they find an Ajira waterbottle on the beach, too, so we know it's post-Ajira crash. Only makes sense that we'll see it in our present-day island action.

Claire's Theme
Say what you will about Claire's character, but I'm happy for her return just so I can hear her musical theme. It's my favorite of the series.

Count me in the camp that thought this was a terrific episode. I thought it actually came the closest to S1/S2 character-based storytelling, where the whole ensemble is utilized and we get a poignant bonding session on the beach.

Same. When Sayid didn't come back with Smokey, I was scared he'd just be like, "Oh, Juliet shot him" and be done with it.

I liked almost everything about this episode. I thought it was the best use of the sideways so far, in that the differences were subtle and surprising. I thought it would be something predictable, like "Oh, now JIN can speak English," but I was surprised by Sun and Jin's circumstances.

Endings Past
Season 3 had the best ending in the entire series, I think, when Jack simply cried in his car, collected himself, and drove off.

Yeah, that took me out of it, too. And I don't get why Sawyer needed to lie to anyone about Australia, really. If he didn't kill Shrimp Man, what's the big deal? Just say you're vacationing in Sydney.

I'm all for the Hate-Kate bandwagon, but this episode I thought she was actually pretty compelling. I actually cared for her when she was hiding in that tree, crying softly over her entire reason for coming back to the Island pinning her down with a knife to her throat…

Predictability
I thought this episode would end up being predictable, but I was surprised by something we DIDN'T see:

Ah, but didn't Smokey talk to Ben BEFORE Widmore arrived at Hydra Island, considering Widmore's sub was still en route?

Yeah, I was bored through 80% of this episode, too. The only scene that had me fully invested was Smokey talking to Kate on the beach. And Widmore in the sub.

I love the idea of Sawyer initiating it, knowing full well that the shooter is going to be shot. That would be really, really cool. MR. QUICK, your "other possibility" is not as interesting, which makes me fear that it's the one the writers might actually be planning. (Cynicism FTW)

Quippitude
What I want to know is: who is Diablo Cody talking to that gives her the idea that teenagers speak like that?